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So. California / Catalina Trip Advise

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JD van Wyhe
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/07/2002 : 14:20:06

We're planning a trip to Catalina later this month. Trailer from central California, launch in Long Beach or ??, then sail to and moore at Catalina Island. Never sailed in southern California before. Looking for advise on launch sites / marinas and tips for enjoyable Catalina trip, etc. Crew will be my wife and two sons, age 14 & 11.
Thanks,
JD van Wyhe
C25 Marea, #139

Edited by - on

Ed Montague
Captain

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USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2002 : 20:56:49

JD, give me a call. You know the area code. 656-0967. We just got back three weeks ago. I can give you all the details.

Ed Montague on 'Yahoo'
1978 #765 SK, Stnd, Dinette ~_/)~

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jheard
1st Mate

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USA
49 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2002 : 16:43:35

There are 5 main ports to leave from for Catalina: Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Huntington Harbor, Newport Beach and Dana Point. Long Beach is the shortest, plan on 8 hours.

Catalina Island has 2 main harbors, Avalon and Two Harbors, although there are many anchorages around the island. Avalon is the main harbor. The mooring balls are first come, first served. Check in with the harbormaster on a boat loitering near the harbor entrance, or call on the radio.

The harbor is usually full, but with a 25' boat, you get into the first row of moorings near shore reserved for 25' and under boats. There are not that many that make it to Catalina, so there is sometimes space.

Avalon has a small town with bars, etc. If you go to Two Harbors, it is mainly camping, although there is a restaurant/bar there.

The shore drops off steeply, so anchoring is a challenge. Get a chart. I would not recommend anchoring my first time there.

Good luck, have fun.

Edited by - on

RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/09/2002 : 16:59:54

JD:

I have a fin keel and know little about trailoring. Ed is definitely the expert there. But Cabrillo Beach has the closest ramp to Catalina. This link http://www.cabrilloaq.org/dmap.htm has directions -- the boat ramp is just across the parking lot from the aquarium.

From LA Lighthouse, about 15 minutes from the boat ramp, it's about a 4 hour cruise to Catalina, depending on conditions. The following are the magnetic compass headings (and approx. distance) from LA Light to various island destinations with moorings for rent:

Avalon -- 176 degrees (22 NM)
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a013dee0f0000001410" border=0>

White's Cove -- 184 degrees (19 NM)
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a0127ee150000001410" border=0>

Two Harbors -- 204 degrees (20 NM)
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a04b7ae1f0000001410" border=0>

Catalina Harbor -- on the "backside" of the island, about 1/2 mile walk across the isthmus from Two Harbors. It's the only natural, storm sheltered harbor on the West Coast between San Diego and San Francisco.
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a013bee090000001410" border=0>

Emerald Bay -- 210 degrees (21 NM) -- the most beautiful water!
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a01246f260000001410" border=0>

West End -- 219 degrees (22 NM) -- no moorings here, but you must go past here to get to backside destinations (stay well offshore as Pacific swells can bounce off the island, creating very uncomfortable confused seas).
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d628b3127cce9f2a01226f200000001410" border=0>

Only Avalon and Two Harbors have services (store, restaurant/bar, fuel, medical, etc.). Getting a mooring at Avalon can be tough on weekends until after Labor Day -- your best bet is on weekdays. I usually wait until September to go there. Moorings at Two Harbors can also be tough on weekends. But if they are full, try asking for a spot on "outside stringline". You are pretty close to your neighbors, but that never bothers me much. Call Harbor Patrol on VHF channel 9 in each case.

White's and Emerald are my favorite spots -- great snorkeling/diving. But with two young kids, my wife usually doesn't like to be too far away from immediately available "services". However, I think I talked her into going to Emerald the weekend of August 23.

Your kids may prefer Two Harbors and Avalon. Both have quite a bit a teen "activity", while White's and Emerald have much less.

Jheard is right -- anchoring can be tough. Doing so in 100+ feet is not uncommon. It also usually requires 2 anchors (bow and stern) so nobody "swings", allowing more boats to anchor in the limited available space. Anchoring at Two Harbors on a big holiday weekend can be quite amusing (i.e. chaos) as long as you have the right attitude (and sufficient insurance).

Have a great time!

RichardG 81 C25 SR/FK "Sanity"

Edited by - RichardG on 08/09/2002 20:29:04

Edited by - on

JD van Wyhe
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 15:06:25

Thanks for the advice guys, and great pictures Richard. Wish there were some way to know if you could get a mooring ahead of time. Also, I guess you need a tender to back and forth from shore? I don't have one. Is there any place I could rent one?

JD van Wyhe
C25 #139 Marea

Edited by - on

Ed Montague
Captain

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USA
499 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2002 : 23:31:45

My understanding is that most of the moorings around Catalina Island are privately owned. When the owner isn't using his/her mooring then the harbor patrol is allowed to use them for those of us less fortunate. The owner calls the harbor patrol and tells them that they will be on their mooring for the week end and then the rest of us are out of luck.<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle> That's the way it works. If you don't have a tender then there is a shore boat that you can call on Channel 9 and for a fee they will pick you up. This can get expensive with a family. Somebody in Merced must have a tender you can borrow. Maybe from the Yosemite Yacht Club. A row boat will work at Two Harbors but unless you get an inside mooring at Avalon you will need a motor.

Richard is right on about visiting Avalon early in the week. It is packed on weekends and the outside moorings are very rolly. As you were talking earlier about making this trip at the end of the month I am sure that you are aware that Labor Day weekend starts August 30. I would not be surprized to find everything full all the previous week as folks head to the island early.

I think my wife filled you in on all the route through LA to San Pedro. Cabrillo Beach is by far the best launch point. The parking is as secure as can be expected. It is in the park and is patrolled by the local police as well as the county beach patrol. The Cabrillo Marina is just a quarter of a mile from the ramp if you decide to spend the night before heading out. There are very few places to eat within walking distance of the marina and the ones that are near by are very expensive. There are also no stores near so you need to have everything ready when you hit the water. Ice is available at the marina and on the island of course. There is also an area where you can anchor for the night close to the ramp. The earlier you leave for the island the calmer it will be. So if anybody is a little squeamish about leaving land for so long this would be a good idea. The afternoon breezes will have the timid uncomfortable. We had to reef and then pound our way for 20 NM to Two Harbors. I loved it but one of the passengers got a little green even though she never complained.

If you can get on the road early and be in the water by 2:00pm you can make it to Two harbors in one day. Otherwise you will pretty much take two days each way for the trip. We did it this way the first time. After the first trip we made it in one day. Hey, two more days on the island and not traveling. Hope you have a great trip. It is well worth the 300+ mile drive.

Ed Montague on 'Yahoo'
1978 #765 SK, Stnd, Dinette ~_/)~

Edited by - on

JD van Wyhe
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 08/14/2002 : 11:18:09

<font face='Arial'></font id='Arial'>
Ed,
We plan to head down the weekend before Labor Day. I thought our best chance to get a mooring would be on Sunday evening??
We'll be returning on Wed. the 28th, then heading to San Diego. I need to leave the boat in San Pedro and then retrieve her on our return trip. The marina is probably more feasable than the parking lot. I'll make some calls this week.
Thanks for the tips.

JD van Wyhe
C25 Marea #139

Edited by - on

RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/14/2002 : 16:07:50

JD:

<i>"our best chance to get a mooring would be on Sunday evening?? "</i> Yes -- And it should allow you to get moorings everywhere you go. But come Friday evening, it's a good idea to stay put.

Also, before my hard dinghy, I used a cheap plastic raft, bought from Costco for about $40. If you're moored on the "outside" of Avalon Harbor, you can row a short distance to Descanso Beach and then walk into town, which prevents the long row to the dinghy dock at the pier near the center of town. To help you decide, shoreboat rides (aka water taxi) are $3 per person each way.

Where do you plan on going? I'm probably going to Emerald Bay on 8/22/02, then possibly on to Little Harbor and then Avalon on Sunday night.

Little Harbor is on the "backside" of the island (next stop -- Hawaii). I hear it's definitely a fairweather destination, exposed to big rollers from the south (but hopefully protected from those from the west), and has no moorings, which requires anchoring. I've never been there, but always wanted to.

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d635b3127cce9fcbcc51b80f0000001410" border=0>

RichardG 81 C25 SR/FK "Sanity"

Edited by - on

JD van Wyhe
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 08/14/2002 : 16:54:10

Richard,
thought we would try Avalon since this is our first trip. Sounds like we'll both be there on Sun the 25th??
Thanks for the dighy vs. taxi advise. I'll ask around the club to see if there's one I can borrow. If not, I'll go for the Costco solution.

JD

Edited by - on

Todd Frye
Navigator

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USA
222 Posts

Response Posted - 08/16/2002 : 13:55:14

JD,
Any way you could "photo document" your sail to Catalina, so the rest of us can do a vicarious voyage? I'd be interested in hearing where you put in, wind/water conditions for the trip, average speed and time to destination, and mooring at Avalon. Will you be navigating with GPS or paper charts? Any snorkeling planed? Hope you have a great time.Fair winds. Todd Frye

Edited by - on

JD van Wyhe
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 08/17/2002 : 20:04:28

Todd,
Sure! I'll be taking digital camera along. I'd be happy to share the experience. Hopefully nothing that will end up in the "most embarrasing experience" topic.
I have charts and a GPS. (use them both) I have one week of preparation left. Plan on purchasing a new battery. A new 5 watt solar panel is in the mail. Still have menu and food purchasing.
Don't know if we'll snorkle or not. I never have, but would love to try.
Trying to get the crew excited about the trip. We've never been there so we don't know what to expect. I let you know how it goes.
JD
C25 Marea #139

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RichardG
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 08/19/2002 : 13:41:45

JD:

Snorkeling at Avalon is fantastic!

For beginners, try Lover's Cove, a short walk just east of the ferry terminal. Bring a loaf of bread for feeding the fish. There's an incredible amount of fish in there. There's usually a truck parked on the road right up from the beach where you can rent fins, mask and snorkel. The water is about 70 degrees now, so a wet suit isn't necessary (although I'm chicken and always wear mine).

If you like, try the dive park at Casino Point. There's also a truck renting stuff there. It's mostly scuba people there, but don't let that intimidate you -- snorkeling is fantastic (the kelp forests and fish habitat are beyond words).

http://www.catalina.com/scuba.html#Snorkeling

http://www.catalina.com/diveguide/casinopt.html

RichardG 81 C25 SR/FK "Sanity"

Edited by - RichardG on 08/19/2002 14:04:55

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